Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to reversible garments, and more particularly, to reversible bicycle jackets that are reversible between ordinary and high-visibility configurations.
A growing number of the work force commutes to and from work by bicycle. The potential for an accident with an automobile involving injury and death is a constant risk for bicyclists. The risk cannot be eliminated, but bicyclists can do two things to help protect themselves. First, bicyclists can mitigate the severity of any such accidents by wearing protective gear such as bicycle helmets. Second, bicyclists can reduce the number of accidents by increasing their visibility to automobile drivers, using high-visibility gear such as lights, reflectors, and safety vests.
High-visibility gear such as lights and reflectors are typically attached to the bicycle itself. Safety vests are worn around the torso of the body as the outermost layer. Safety vests are high-visibility vests that are, for example, often worn by construction workers when working in the vicinity of traffic. Safety vests are available for purchase from numerous Internet vendors including The Traffic Safety Store at http://www.trafficsafetystore.com/safety-apparel.html. Additionally, high-visibility jackets are available for purchase from numerous Internet vendors including Logical, Inc. at http://www.safety-products.com. While it is important for bicyclists to use lights and/or reflectors when bicycling at night, it is important for bicyclists to wear safety vests or high-visibility jackets when bicycling regardless of the time of day.
Safety vests and high-visibility jackets are typically constructed of a material that complies with the American National Standard For High-Visibility Safety Apparel-ANSI (American National Standards Institute)/ISEA (International Safety Equipment Association) 107. The standard, commonly known as ANSI, sets forth three classes of ascending degree of high-visibility: ANSI Class I, ANSI Class II, and ANSI Class III. The higher the class, the more visible the material is.
Because safety vests and high-visibility jackets are so prominent and even flamboyant in appearance, they can be embarrassing to wear. Thus, there is a desire to remove them when not bicycling. When a bicycle commuter arrives at work, for example, he may remove the safety vest or high-visibility jacket prior to entering his office building to avoid unwanted attention. He may further put the safety vest or high-visibility jacket into a bag to place it out of sight (as opposed to carrying it).
Bicycle commuters may shower and change at health clubs or other facilities at or near their workplaces after bicycling to work and before arriving at their offices or other places of business. When bicycling to and from work, a bicycle commuter typically wears exercise clothes (and a safety vest or high-visibility jacket) and carries his work clothes (including a separate, ordinary jacket) in a bag such as a backpack. At the health club, the bicycle commuter showers, changes and bags his exercise clothes and the safety vest or high-visibility jacket. If the weather or personal tastes demand that a jacket be worn from the showering facilities to his office, the bicycle commuter may wear the ordinary (non high-visibility) jacket, which he carried in his bag during his bicycle commute.
Some bicycle commuters may take their morning shower at home and ride to work dressed in their work clothes. Such a commuter also wants to be highly visible while riding his bicycle and is likely to wear a safety vest or high-visibility jacket. After locking his bicycle near his office, if the weather or personal tastes demand that a jacket be worn from the place where he locks his bicycle to his office, the bicycle commuter may wear the ordinary (non high-visibility) jacket, which he carried in his bag during while riding his bicycle to work.
While bicyclists often want to be highly visible when riding their bicycles, they typically prefer to be inconspicuous or even fashionable when not riding their bicycles. Thus, it is not uncommon for a bicyclist to be wearing one jacket while carrying another. For example, when riding a bicycle, a bicyclist may wear a high-visibility jacket while carrying another, ordinary jacket. When the bicyclist dismounts his bicycle, he can switch the two jackets with one another (i.e., he can wear the ordinary jacket and carry the high-visibility jacket).
Having to remove a high-visibility jacket and place it in a bag out of sight upon completing a bicycle commute is inconvenient. Having to carry a separate, ordinary jacket in the bag while riding to work is also inconvenient. Thus, a need exists for a single bicycle jacket that can be used in both a high-visibility configuration and an ordinary configuration.